The Department of Meteorology has issued a warm weather advisory covering the Eastern and North Central provinces and the Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Monaragala districts.
The Department said the heat index — the temperature as it is felt on the human body — is likely to rise to “Caution” level at some places in those areas during daytime on Friday, August 21.
What the Caution level means
The Met Department calculates its Heat Index Forecast from relative humidity and maximum temperature, producing a figure that reflects what conditions feel like rather than the air temperature alone.
At the Caution level, the Department said, prolonged exposure to the sun and sustained outdoor activity will cause fatigue, and continuing to exert oneself in those conditions can lead to heat cramps.
Residents in the affected areas have been asked to stay hydrated and to limit strenuous outdoor activity.
A month of repeated advisories
The advisory is the latest in a run of heat warnings through August. The heat index reached Caution level across seven districts in mid-August, and a similar advisory covered the Eastern and North-Central provinces at the start of the month.
The warnings sit against a broader dry-weather picture. The Ministry of Health cautioned this week that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can cause serious heat-related illness and, in severe cases, death, advising the public to stay out of the sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Forecasters have also warned that a very strong El Niño is likely to persist into the first quarter of next year, with dry conditions already affecting tens of thousands of people across several districts.
